A mother who was granted custody of her 6-year-old boy, whose body was discovered in the trunk of her bloodied car, was charged with his death in a Minneapolis suburb.
Eli Hart’s body was discovered in the trunk of his mother’s Chevy Impala during a traffic stop in Mound, Minnesota, on Friday morning. After Thaler was pulled over in Mound, police say they discovered the boy’s body. The youngster was shot up to nine times, according to the criminal complaint.
Julissa Thaler, 28, of Spring Park, has been accused in the death of Eli Hart in Hennepin County with second-degree deliberate murder. Orono police nabbed her early Saturday morning. Police said that they pulled down a car near Shoreline Drive and Bartlett Boulevard on Friday morning after a caller reported a damaged rear window and a blown tyre.
Family members have identified 6-year-old Eli Hart as the boy found dead in a car trunk near Orono Friday.
Hart is pictured here with his father, Tory Hart and Hart’s fiancée Josie Josephson.
Court docs Hart’s biological mother was recently awarded full custody. @WCCO #WCCO pic.twitter.com/1eU8ejJCky
— Adam Duxter (@AdamDuxter) May 21, 2022
Officers noticed what looked to be blood on Thaler’s hand, as well as a shotgun shell, a spent shell casing, and a bullet hole in the rear seat, according to the criminal complaint. The child’s body was discovered in the trunk of the vehicle when cops checked it before towing it. A shotgun was also discovered inside the trunk, according to the complaint.
The last two years of Eli Hart’s life, according to court filings, were dominated by a custody dispute between Thaler and his biological father, Tory Hart. Eli Hart was placed in family foster care in January 2021, according to records, after worries about his mother’s mental health escalated. Her criminal background and living situation were also a source of concern.
Eli’s father filed multiple complaints regarding Thaler’s drug and mental health issues but was ignored by the courts, reports said.
Tory Hart was reportedly trying to gain custody of his child at the time, according to family members. Despite the allegations, Thaler was granted full parental custody only 10 days before Eli’s death.
